Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus configured to send information about a function provided by the communication apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
There are communication protocols (hereinafter “service detection protocols”) for a communication apparatus to search for a function provided by other communication apparatuses and notify other communication apparatuses of information about a function provided by the communication apparatus via a network. According to the service detection protocols, a communication apparatus sends information about a function provided by the communication apparatus in a multicast signal, thereby notifying an unspecified number of service using apparatuses present in the network about the function provided by the providing apparatus and a change (termination, etc.) in the function.
Meanwhile, there is a communication apparatus that does not receive the multicast signal. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-203344 discusses a communication apparatus configured to discard multicast signals. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-203344 discusses a method in which an apparatus that uses a function provided by a providing apparatus sends a unicast signal to an apparatus that provides the function to inquire about the function provided by the communication apparatus, and the using apparatus receives a response to the inquiry to detect the function provided by the providing apparatus.
However, when the function using apparatus inquires of the providing apparatus about the function provided by the providing apparatus, if the function provided by the providing apparatus has been changed, there is a time lag from when the change has been made until the function using apparatus detects the change in the function.
In view of immediacy, the function using apparatus desirably detects the change when notified from the function providing apparatus about the change in the function.